


Lady Murasaki

by WrathoftheStag (Mwuahna)



Series: Namaste, My Love [5]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: A bit o' smut, Fluffy Domesticity, Hannibal Loves Will, Hannibal is Not a Cannibal, Hannibal is a medical resident, Hannibal is too pure for this world, Idiots in Love, It's More of that Yoga!Hannibal AU, Lady Murasaki is the Queen of Shade, M/M, These dudes IDOLIZE each other, They are MFEO, This Mizumono in this will not break your heart!, Will Loves Hannibal, Will is a grad student, get ready for the fluff, hannigram AU, just a tad, seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 14:25:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7621876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mwuahna/pseuds/WrathoftheStag
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lady Murasaki comes in from Paris to visit Hannibal and meet the new man in his life.  Will will pass muster?  The next installment in the Hannigram AU where Hannibal is a young resident at Johns Hopkins and Will is a grad student at GW.   From the "Namaste, My Love" series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lady Murasaki

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Devereauxs_Disease](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devereauxs_Disease/gifts).



>   
> 

Hannibal’s cell phone rang at 7:30 in the morning, just as he was finishing making an omelette for them to share before they headed out for the day.

Will was setting some dishes on the kitchen island when Hannibal said, “Will you answer that for me, please? I don’t want this to burn.”

“Sure,” Will jogged over to the living room and took Hannibal’s cell from the end table. The caller ID read: Auntie. Will paused for a second, and called out, “It’s your aunt?”

Hannibal pondered that for a moment and replied, “Answer?”

Will bit his lip and then said, “Hello?”

There was a moment of silence, before he heard a steady, somewhat stern voice on the other end, “Hannibal?”

“Hello...uh, no this is Will. Just a moment.” He was about to pass the phone over to Hannibal, but the woman’s voice continued.

“Will? The man who lives with my _oisan_?”

Will hunched over slightly upon hearing himself described as “the man” and replied, “Yes? Hello.”

“I am Hannibal’s aunt, Lady Murasaki. Good morning.”

“Hi! Yes, I’ve heard so much about you. Hello…”

More silence.

“Well, let me get Hannibal. Nice, uh, meeting you,” Will said as he awkwardly bowed and gave the phone to Hannibal who had just plated the omelette. 

“ _Ohayou-gozaimasu_ , Auntie.”

Will observed as Hannibal’s body language became more formal, but his face still held that Hannibal mirth and light. 

“I’m fine. Yes, it is. Very busy. No, Doctor Sutcliffe performed that surgery. I know. I was, but -- yes, you are right. Of course…”

Hannibal motioned to Will to begin eating, so Will sat down and took a forkful of omelette while still watching Hannibal.

“Yes, that was him. Will. William, yes…The George Washington University. Remember, Auntie? I wrote all about it.”

Will stopped chewing and could feel his ears turning red. Clearly Hannibal’s aunt was talking about him.

“Really? That sounds wonderful…Yes, of course. No. No, he will be delighted. Will, yes. Graham. Yes, Graham. I supposed it is like the cracker. Very well, I am so very pleased. I will check my email. _Shitsureeitashimasu_ , Auntie.”

Will looked at Hannibal who now had a look on his face that was an odd combination of anxiety and giddy anticipation.

“My Aunt --”

“ _Lady_ Murasaki,” Will said interrupting. It still tickled him that Hannibal was European nobility. 

Hannibal sat down and began to eat his breakfast, ignoring Will’s cheekiness, “She would like to meet you. She is coming in from Paris to see us.”

“Uh, why?” Will asked suddenly feeling like a yokel at a black tie event.

“Because we’re living together, because we’re in love, because she knows this is serious.”

If it were anatomically possible, Will Graham would have had stars in his eyes right then. “So, this is serious, eh?” He said with a smirk.

Hannibal rolled his eyes, and smiled, “You are impossible sometimes. She is coming Saturday and leaving Monday.”

“I guess we need to tidy up the bedroom for her,” Will said as he finished his breakfast.

“Oh no. I am certain she’ll be staying at the Four Seasons. Hmm...I have to see what I can do with my schedule at the hospital. I am sure I’ll be calling in some favors,” Hannibal said as he put his dish in the sink. Hannibal then appeared lost in thought, as he leaned against the counter with coffee cup to his lip -- not drinking.

“Hannibal?”

“Hmmm? Oh, yes. Menu planning! I have to start with that. Maybe I’ll do a traditional kaiseki. I need to plan the sakizuki, hassun, takiawase, mukōzuke…”

Hannibal put down his coffee and then began to walk toward the front door. He grabbed his jacket from the Hang-It-All and Will followed as they both left for the day. A quick kiss and then Will locked the door.

**+++**

Hannibal sat at the hospital cafeteria with a salad he had yet to touch. He began thinking about the year he first moved in with his uncle Robert and Murasaki. He had been eight, and it was right after his parents and Mischa had died. His family had been broken during a routine trip into town from their estate on the outskirts of Anykščiai. 

Just earlier in the morning on that terrible day, Mischa had crawled into Hannibal’s bed as she always did. She would wake before anyone else in the house, and being the curious, independent child that she was, she was never frightened. She would merely pad over to Hannibal’s bedroom and climb into his bed where she would snuggle against him to wake him. And Hannibal would sleepily tell her stories about superheroes he had made up. She would laugh and he would kiss the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her. It reminded him of sweet pineapple and warm peanuts. He loved that smell.

Hannibal had fallen in love with his sister from the first moment he saw her. Mischa Lecter had been born in their home one rainy, November afternoon. His mother Simonetta was crying out in pain, during the final pushes of bringing Mischa into his world. 

Hannibal’s father, Augustas, had been waiting outside the bedroom as the midwives walked in and out hurriedly. Five-year-old Hannibal sat next to him anxiously looking at his father, swinging his feet on the just-too-big bench. One of the midwives, Rasa, came out and said, “The child is born. You have a daughter, but your wife is not doing well. Come quickly.”

Augustas ran in, and Hannibal remained on the bench, tears welling in his eyes. He quickly blinked them away and walked in behind his father. 

He stood by the doorway and he saw his mother pale and still on the bed, as the midwives frantically jumped into action. Augustus dropped to his knees next to the bed, taking Simonetta’s hand. Meanwhile, the baby was swaddled and alone in a bassinet on a table in the bedroom. Hannibal slowly walked to the table, and saw his sister; awake, eyes looking, inquiring…

He gently scooped her out, no one paying any attention, and took her out of the bedroom and sat with her in the hallway -- taking her away from the chaos within the room.

“I’m your brother. I’m Hannibal. You, I’ll take care of you. Always. I promise.” And he cradled her in his arms, for what seemed like an eternity. 

+

Their drive into town was to be a quick one, Hannibal and Mischa sat in the backseat singing about a German riddle while Augustas and Simonetta were in the front, discussing the latest politics. Simonetta turned to look at them and said, “After we are done, would you two like to see the horses today?” Hannibal nodded, “Yes, mama!” Mischa grabbed at Hannibal’s hands as he tried to tickle her. She joyfully sang, “ _Das männlein im walde_!” And then a car came out of nowhere, shattering their car; shattering Hannibal’s world -- tossing it carelessly along the verdant banks of the Šventoji River.

Hannibal was jolted out of his thoughts, as he was being paged. He felt guilty about tossing his untouched salad, and made his way back to the E.R.

**+++**

“So, do you see her often since you’ve moved out here?” Will asked as they entered the BWI airport parking lot.

“I would frequently go to Paris to spend time with them both, but once my Uncle passed away, Murasaki began to travel more frequently. So we really don’t see each other as often as we’d like. We do email several times a week. Her home is still in Paris, so perhaps you and I shall go there one day to see her.”

Will smiled, “I’ve never been. I’m sure it would be fabulous. I’ve always wanted to go and visit the tomb of Sartre and de Beauvoir, eat some macaron, visit the _Pont des Arts_ …”

“They cut all the locks off that bridge, you know,” Hannibal said finding a parking spot near the elevator.

“Boo. Well, I can do all the other stuff.”

“ _We_ will. One day,” Hannibal said as he winked at Will.

***

Hannibal stood pacing in the baggage claim area, while Will sat and watched him. 

“Are you okay, my sweets?”

“What? Oh, yes. Yes, I’m fine,” he said and then walked over to Will, leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. Will reached out and took Hannibal’s hand, before he began pacing again, and said, “It’ll be okay. Don’t be nervous. I’m the one that should be nervous. The woman practically raised you and will be looking at me with microscopic eyes.”

“The woman is here,” Murasaki said as she appeared behind Will and Hannibal.

Will wanted to die. 

Hannibal turned around and instantly picked her up, spinning her in his arms once. She laughed, and then smacked him on his shoulder, “Hannibal! This is not proper.”

“Auntie! There is an occasional time and place for impropriety -- and I am certain the airport baggage claim is just such a place.”

He lowered her back down to the ground and said, pulling Will up from his chair, “This is my Will. Will Graham, this is my aunt, the Lady Murasaki Lecter.”

Will bowed at the same time Murasaki put out her hand, “Oh,” she said, “No need to bow, young man. Rise, please…”

Again, Will wanted to die.

“I’m so happy to meet you,” Will said nervously shaking her hand.

“Indeed,” she said slowly looking Will up and down and pointing toward baggage carousel number one. “Hannibal, my bag will be the red Vuitton.”

Hannibal nodded and ran over to the carousel, as she stood next to Will. Will took her in, she was about 5’ 2”, had black hair with a silver streak coming out from her widow’s peak. It was styled in a neat bob. She wore a classic Chanel suit in navy and cream, and carried a black quilted Chanel handbag. The only reason Will knew it was a Chanel suit was because the other day they had both watched a movie about Chanel and Stravinsky. Lady Murasaki was, in a word, class.

“So, you are the young man living with my Hannibal.”

“Yes, it appears I am...so, uh, how was your flight?”

“Acceptable.” 

Hannibal came back momentarily with a large red suitcase and a smile on his face. “Shall we? Will you be staying with us, Auntie?”

“Oh no, I wouldn’t dream of intruding. I have a room at the Four Seasons. We’ll go to your apartment, have some refreshments, and then in the early evening you and William can take me to the hotel where I will recover from this impending jet lag.”

**+++**

“You’ve changed your apartment since last time,” Murasaki said as she walked around the living room and stopped to look around. “I like what you have done to the kitchen, _Oisan_.”

“Thank you. You know how much I love to cook, so I had to update some of the appliances and things.”

“Do you like to cook, William?”

“Oh, I like it. I am nowhere near the skill level of Hannibal but I do enjoying cooking. Fish in particular. Hannibal has quite a meal in store for you tomorrow. He’s very excited,” Will said.

“Ah!” Murasaki replied taking a seat daintily on the couch. “I am looking forward to it.”

“I have some wine and cheese. I’ll be right back,” Hannibal said as he walked toward the kitchen.

“I should probably freshen up,” she rose from the couch and walked toward the bathroom. Once she was inside, Will jumped up and ran over to Hannibal.

“She hates me!” Will whispered.

“How can she hate you? She just met you,” Hannibal replied as he took a plastic wrap-covered serving platter out from the refrigerator. 

“She looked at me like I was yesterday’s newspaper: boring and useless.”

“Stop. You’re being overly critical of yourself. She’ll love you, just as I do.” Hannibal said taking some wine glasses from the cupboard.

“She heard me call her ‘the woman,’” Will whined.

Hannibal laughed, taking the corkscrew from a drawer, “Well, she is a woman.”

The bathroom door began to unlock, “She’s coming!” Will whispered, “Shut up, shut up, shut up,” and then he ran back to the couch.

Murasaki sat down, and Gėlė jumped up to greet her. “Oh, you two have a cat?” she said to Will. 

“Well, she’s Hannibal’s originally -- so now mine by default.”

“Is there anything here that is actually _yours_ , William?” she asked calmly.

“Uh...Hannibal’s heart?” And then he laughed nervously. 

Murasaki looked at him, unimpressed.

Hannibal returned to the living room with a large tray holding a bottle of chilled sauvignon blanc, three wine glasses, and a beautiful platter of cheese and charcuterie. 

“Is my aunt regaling you already with embarrassing childhood stories?”

“Nothing too embarrassing,” Will replied.

“Shall I tell him about the _piscine_ in Ibiza?” Murasaki asked.

“Oh, you love that story don’t you?” Hannibal said as he poured the wine.

Murasaki smiled and then looked at Will and began, “We had all gone on holiday to Ibiza when Hannibal was about nine-years-old. He had just learned how to swim and was very excited to be in the pool.”

Hannibal sat next to Will and put his arm around him. Murasaki took in the sight and continued, “He saw the teenagers climbing up the diving platform and watched them jump down. He did this for a good ten minutes. And then he said to me, ‘I want to do that.’ I replied, ‘ _Oisan_ , you are too little. You just learned how to swim.’ and he insisted, ‘But I can do it, Auntie, I can.’” Robert said, ‘No, and that is final.’ The platform was 10 meters, very high.”

Murasaki paused for a moment, clearly picturing the memory, “His uncle and I became quite involved in our chat and that is when we heard a ruckus.”

Hannibal smiled and covered his face with both hands.

“What was it?” Will asked leaning in toward Murasaki who sat in the armchair across from them.

“He had climbed up to the top and stood at the edge, ready to jump. I felt as though I was about to faint! Robert and I ran to the lifeguards and begged them to bring Hannibal down. But they did not, they were worried if they began to climb up there Hannibal would become nervous and fall. ‘Just let him jump,’ they said sounding annoyed. Can you imagine? The nerve!”

Will felt a cold knot of anxiety begin to form in his stomach, as he imagined himself as the nine-year-old Hannibal looking down toward the bottom of the pool.

Murasaki continued, “By then, everyone below was shouting encouragement, ‘ _¡Brinca! ¡Brinca!_ ’ He looked so very small standing up there. I could see him vigorously shaking his head as people yelled at him to jump.”

She looked at Hannibal once more and smiled warmly, “And then I could see Hannibal calming himself down. And his entire being...changed.”

Hannibal sat blushing, while Will gripped his hands.

“The entire pool was silent, watching him and then he dove off the board. He emerged from the water and paddled to the side of the pool where a lifeguard forcefully pulled him out by one arm. Hannibal was then escorted to us and he breathlessly said to me, ‘Auntie, I did it! I told myself not to be afraid and I did it!’”

Will stared at Hannibal with wonder. 

“And that’s when I knew,” Murasaki said, “this child would accomplish whatever he set his mind to.”

**+++**

The drive to the Four Season was uneventful for the most part. Will sat quietly in the back seat of Hannibal’s Tesla. 

“I saw Chiyoh last month,” Murasaki said. “She sends her best.” 

“Oh, really? Where is she now?”

“She’s still out in Giza. She just finished interviewing Fattah al Sisi.”

Will furrowed his brow, poking his head forward between the two front seats, “You mean the Egyptian president?”

“Yes, of course,” Murasaki said turning to look at Will. 

He added quietly, “Who is Chiyoh?”

“An old childhood friend. Almost a cousin, really,” Hannibal replied.

“They were involved for a year,” Murasaki said bluntly. 

Will sank back into his seat quietly.

“It was more like six months, actually,” Hannibal quickly added, catching Will’s eye in the rearview mirror.

“I thought they would end up marrying. They had known each other since they were children.” 

Will now caught Hannibal’s eye in the mirror. Hannibal discreetly shook his head.

“It was like dating a family member. It was too...strange,” Hannibal said scrunching up his nose.

“Yes, well. Regardless, she does not have time for something as trivial as dating. She is trying to change the world.”

Will rolled his eyes as quietly as he possibly could from the back seat. 

They pulled into the Four Seasons and the doorman opened the car door for Murasaki.

“We’ll just park and come right in to walk you up.” 

“No, that’s quite all right, Hannibal. You two go home. I’ll see you tomorrow. Both of you.”

Hannibal leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek; Will smiled meekly from the back seat. “William, would you like to come up to the front?” she asked.

“Oh, yes. Thank you.” 

Murasaki exited the car, waited for Will to come out, nodded at him and then went inside. A bellhop retrieved her bag from the trunk. Will waved as she walked in.

**+++**

“Chiyoh, huh? You learn something new every day,” Will said keeping his eye on the speeding view outside his window.

‘What do you mean, Will?”

“I mean, I guess I knew you had been with women before -- but I didn’t know it was anything that long-term and exclusive,” Will said with passive-aggressive shrug.

“Will, that was a long time ago. And I am attracted to whomever I find attractive,” Hannibal said with an honest shrug. Then he smiled, “Are you...jealous, _spalvingas_?”

“No...I don’t have reason to be, right?” Will said staring at Hannibal’s profile as he drove, then turned away. Hannibal glanced toward Will, then pulled over to the next available parking spot on the street.

“Will, look at me.”

Will faced Hannibal. Hannibal then gave Will one of his dazzling fang-baring smiles and said, “Absolutely not. You’re the only person in all of time and space for me. I love you.”

Will blushed and smiled, as Hannibal leaned over and began to kiss him. Will instantly melted into the kiss, and placed his hands on Hannibal’s face as he moaned softly.

Hannibal broke the kiss and said, “We should get home. Neither of us has to rush off anywhere, we’re not drowning in work at the moment, or have to look at the clock every five minutes -- let’s go. I would very much like to fuck you for the rest of the night.”

“I think...that can be arranged,” Will replied, and then sucked down Hannibal’s lower lip.

**+++**

The two barely made it into the apartment before Hannibal had Will pinned against the hallway wall, holding Will’s arms behind him. Their mouths, ravenous, were all over each other as Hannibal then stopped kissing Will to study his expression more closely. He always found Will beautiful, but when Will was just beginning to lose himself in his own desire, just at the cusp of losing himself in Hannibal, Hannibal found him positively breathtaking.

Hannibal rolled his hips and pressed his already hard cock against Will, and then tightened his grip on Will’s hands, pulling his arms tauter behind him. Will in turn, began to plant kisses along the side of Hannibal’s jaw and then said in between kisses, as Hannibal continued to grind into him, “Doctor Lecter, I’m not sure I can make it to the bedroom. You may have to take me right here, right now.”

Hannibal placed two of his own fingers into his mouth, soaking them thoroughly, and then slowly his hand traveled down the back of Will’s jeans, making its way in between Will’s cheeks, and playfully rubbing against Will’s hole. “Professor Graham,” Hannibal said, (Will having now received a promotion of sorts, from his former Officer Graham status), “that can also certainly be arranged.” 

**+++**

After the deliciously exhausting night they had had, Hannibal and Will slept in for the first time in weeks. Will opened one eye, and looked at the clock on their nightstand. The sunlight streaming warmly into their room. “Hannibal...it’s 10:30.”

Hannibal was still mostly asleep, walking that precarious line between slumber and consciousness. He licked his lips, eyes still closed, and barely got out a, “Hmm?” 

Will curled into Hannibal’s side and said, “It’s 10:30 and we don’t have to get up for anything.”

“Then why are you waking me up, gorgeous?” Hannibal asked finally looking at Will.

“Because I could really go for a chocolate croissant from Babette’s down the street.”

Hannibal grinned, “Yes, that sounds delicious. I’ll wait for you here.”

“Welllll, I was kind of hoping you would volunteer to go,” Will said as he palmed Hannibal’s cock.

“Will, I don’t appreciate this sort of manipulation for favors,” Hannibal said with false indignation, and then closed his eyes once more.

“When you come back, we can do the thing, again,” Will said curling in even closer to Hannibal.

Hannibal’s eyes flew open, “ _The_ thing?”

Will impishly nodded, “Uh-huh.”

Hannibal sat up and said, “I’ll be back in about 10 minutes.”

Will smiled.

**+++**

A few minutes after Hannibal walked out the door, Will got up to brush his teeth, he started some coffee brewing, and then waited in the hallway naked, ready to pounce on Hannibal and do The Thing.

He heard the front door unlock and stood leaning against the wall, when Hannibal walked in with Murasaki at his side.

Hannibal saw Will and immediately his eyes grew wide. Will screeched, covering his most private parts as Murasaki looked him up and down. “Jesus Christ!” Will said as he ran to hide behind the couch. “I’m so sorry, Lady Murasaki!” 

Hannibal could not help but crumble in laughter, covering his mouth. Murasaki raised an eyebrow and merely said turning toward Hannibal, “Well, now I see what you like so much about him,” as she glanced back toward Will.

**+++**

“Will?”

Will was on their bed with a pillow over his head, refusing to answer. Hannibal had straddled Will’s waist.

“Will? William Lee Graham? Are you alive? Hello?” 

Will merely groaned, and then replied from under the pillow, “She saw me naked.”

Hannibal tried to stifle his laugh, “Yes. She did.” He then plucked the pillow away from Will’s face and tossed it over the side of the bed.

Will looked at Hannibal and said, “Your proper, perfect aunt saw me buck naked. Lecherously leaning against the wall ready to take advantage of her proper, perfect nephew.”

“Take advantage of? That’s quite a stretch, don’t you think?” Hannibal asked.

“Yes, but _she_ doesn’t know that. As far as she’s concerned, I’m some sex-crazed maniac.”

“Now you’re really overreacting,” Hannibal said as he bent down and kissed the tip of Will’s nose. “Let’s go to the living room. She’s waiting for us to have some coffee and croissant. The croissant, if I remember correctly, that you practically begged me to get. If anything, I’m the victim here. I was promised The Thing and now I will have to go without.”

Will pouted and then tapped Hannibal’s knee to signal for him to get off.

“Why was she here anyway?” Will asked as he sat up, leaning against the headboard. 

“She wanted to surprise us and take us out for brunch, and I ran into her downstairs just as I was coming back from Babette’s. I thought at the most, maybe she would find you in your pajamas -- not in your proverbial birthday suit, darling Will.” Hannibal said with a smirk. “Come. She has poured the coffee and it is getting cold.

Will sighed and nodded as Hannibal gave him his hand.

**+++**

“How do you take your coffee, William?” Murasaki asked as she pushed a cup and saucer in Will’s direction.

“Black is fine.” Will said quietly.

Hannibal looked at Murasaki and then subtly nodded toward Will. She raised her eyebrow and delicately shrugged, “So, William. Where are you from?”

“I grew up all over the South, but from Louisiana mostly. I still find myself letting a ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ slip out every now and then.” 

“Louisiana? So do you speak French?” she asked looking actually interested.

“ _Pas aussi bien que je le faisais quand j'étais enfant_ ,” Will said with a soft smile.

“ _Pas du tout. C'est bien_ ,” Murasaki replied, with her face finally softening ever so slightly.

Hannibal sat beaming.

“So, would you two still like to go to brunch? I can wait while you get dressed,” Murasaki asked and then sipped her coffee.

Will looked at Hannibal and nodded. Hannibal then said, “Well, why don’t I quickly shower and get dressed first. Will?”

Will looked at Murasaki, who stared at Will as she continued to slowly drink her coffee. “Um, sure. Yes, you go first.”

“I will be speedy,” he said then leaned down to give Will a quick kiss and went off to the bathroom.

Will and Murasaki sat silently, contemplating each other for a moment, then Will spoke, “Again, I’m sorry about earlier --”

Murasaki raised a hand, “Nonsense. You were in your home. I showed up unannounced. What good is being a young person if you cannot have some...merriment now and then?”

Will took a deep breath and then said, “He really loves you a lot. You mean the world to him.”

“Yes, I know.”

“And he means the world to me...so you can see maybe, why I was nervous to meet you.”

“Hannibal has always done what he wants. He follows his heart and his conscience. So whether or not we would have gotten along would have been inconsequential.”

Will felt a sense of dread as he realized that perhaps Murasaki would never accept him.

“How much has he told you of his childhood, William?” Murasaki asked.

“A bit...I try not to pry. He’ll tell me what he wants me to know, when he wants me to know it.”

“Hannibal has always been a very unusual and special boy -- brilliant, loyal, shy at times, but also quite fearless and strong.”

“He still is all of those things, and more,” Will said.

“Yes,” Muraski smiled. “He was happy, and then in one blink of the universe’s eye, he was alone. His father, gone. His mother, gone. His beloved Mischa, gone. When we first went to see him in the hospital, he was in his bed, shattered and bruised -- smelling of smoke and blood. Robert and I were so worried he would be forever broken. Then when he first came to live with us, he didn’t speak for weeks. He sat alone in his room, with our cat as his only company. But, the world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places.”

“Hemingway,” Will said.

Muraski smiled again then continued, “So one day, Robert and I were in the parlour and we heard his footsteps approaching. Hannibal was carrying Kichōna in his arms, and he stood and looked at us for moment.”

“What did he do?” Will asked.

“He said, ‘I am ready to join you and be with everyone again.’ And then he moved forward. He was still struck with occasional bouts of melancholy, and I know he holds his family’s memory in his heart, but as I said, he was ready to move forward.”

Will sat quietly, recalling a morning he and Hannibal had shared when they were newly together…

+

In their stillest moments, just before the sun fully rises, Hannibal and Will lie awake and remain entangled within each other, in their bed. Legs between legs, arms and fingers intertwined, breaths softly mingling. And it is during these intense moments of intimacy that sex is irrelevant -- it is merely the immense pleasure of living within one another that matters. A whispered secret, another quiet declaration of love; the cat, the only witness to these private, sacred exchanges.

“The other day, when I was waiting for you outside of Lalu’s,” Will whispered as he lay his cheek on Hannibal’s chest, “I looked down the street, and saw this man walking on the sidewalk and thought to myself, ‘That guy is really handsome.’ And then I realized it was you.”

The song “High School Lover” by Air quietly played in the background.

Hannibal laughed, a hearty laugh from deep within, causing Will’s head to gently bounce up and down. Will ran his hand slowly from Hannibal’s chest down to his hipbone and back up again. Hannibal in turn, caressed Will’s back and spine with his fingertips. 

“Hmmm...the other day when we were making pasta together, and we mixed the egg into the semolina, you were so focused on what you were doing. Your tongue was sticking out, you had a smudge of flour on your cheek and all I wanted to do was crawl deep within you and never leave. Even the simple acts we share, bring me such peace. A quiet within I thought I would never fully have again.”

“I feel safe with you, and invincible -- and I am almost embarrassed by how intense these feelings are,” Will whispered, and swallowed as he felt a prickly knot begin to form in his throat.

Hannibal wrapped his arms around Will and kissed the top of Will’s head.

“I love you.” “And I love you.” 

For a moment, as they proclaimed their love for one another -- yet again -- it was hard to distinguish whose voice was whose.

+

“My mother left us when I was about three. I can remember bits and pieces of her, a ghost of a memory. She had curly hair like mine. She smelled like apples -- things like that. My father never fully recovered, so in way I grew up without a mother and a father. We moved from town to town, where I was always the new boy. Always. And it was hard for me to form connections with people. 

When Hannibal and I met, we both instantly felt this bond. It was like something I had never experienced before in my life. Was I attracted to him? Of course. Who wouldn’t be? But I felt whole with him...complete. Like the thing that had been missing my entire life was suddenly with me, in this incredible, wonderful person.”

Murasaki looked at Will and her expression softened once again.

Will continued, “And amazingly enough, he feels the same way about me. I still can’t believe it, but it’s true. I’m sorry if I’m not exactly what you pictured for him. But I’m here. I love him and I will never leave his side. I love him, Murasaki.”

“It is true. You’re not the type of person I expected my Hannibal to end up with...but you seem kind, and clearly you are bright. Charming in your own way.”

Will snorted, then turned bright red. Murasaki raised an eyebrow, and said. “William, you may call me Auntie.”

**+++**

Hannibal’s dinner that evening for his Murasaki was something to behold. The first course, the Sakizuki was a lovely mini-okra with ume sauce, followed by the Hassun for which Hannibal had created a delicate freshwater unagi with new potatoes. And so it went on for 11 more courses. 

Hannibal said as he presented the final Mizumono course, “I had planned on doing a full-course Kaiseki, but Will talked me off the ledge when he saw that I was unable to find one very specific ingredient, so I just went with a 13 course Kaiseki instead.” 

The Mizumono course was a simple plate of fruit, which featured all of Murasaki’s favorites: sliced fuji apples, satonishiki cherries, and strawberries. 

Will cleared the dishes, while Hannibal sat with Murasaki. “This was just lovely, Hannibal.”

“If it has your seal of approval then I know it was well done.”

Murasaki took Hannibal’s hand and said, “You’re happy, are you not?”

“Yes, very much.”

“Then I am happy for you,” she gently placed her hand on his cheek. “William!”

Will ran back into the dining room area, “Yes, Auntie?”

“Leave those dishes, and sit with us. Come. Are you familiar with rīchi mahjong?”

“No, I’m not,” he said as he stood there with soapy hands.

“Well, you will be after tonight. Hannibal, fetch the tiles. Come!”

And Hannibal and Will sat down with their Auntie, the Lady Murasaki Lecter, who then proceeded to whip their asses but good in rīchi mahjong.

**Author's Note:**

> Oisan = Nephew
> 
> Ohayou-gozaimasu = Good morning (formal greeting)
> 
> Shitsureeitashimasu = Goodbye
> 
> "Das Männlein Im Walde" is the name of a German nursery song/riddle
> 
> Come say hi and visit me [on Tumblr](http://wrathofthestag.tumblr.com/).
> 
> ¡Brinca! = Jump!
> 
> Spalvingas = Gorgeous
> 
> Pas aussi bien que je le faisais quand j'étais enfant. = Not as well as I did when I was a child. 
> 
> Pas du tout. C'est bien. = Not bad. It's good.
> 
> Kichōna = Precious
> 
> The song “[High School Lover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6p_VKn7ZcA)” by Air


End file.
